


Going My Way?

by avidbeader



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Karaoke, M/M, Meet-Cute, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, how much new york can I cram into one fic?, in which I make an attempt to be as funny as lasersheith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:59:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29622378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader/pseuds/avidbeader
Summary: Shiro is enjoying his trip to New York City, until he gets on the wrong bus back to his Jersey AirBnB. Luckily, there are ride-share options. Even better, he gets one with a very cute driver. The rest of his vacation is about to get a lot more interesting.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The opening scene may or may not be based on a real-life situation.
> 
> I am eternally grateful to [lasersheith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith) for being there to keep me semi-sane and entertained as I rode further and further into New Jersey, and then brainstorming with me and offering input once I started writing this. I will be asking [Latart0903](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latart0903) to work her beta magic in the near future.
> 
> Second of two Twitter threads that I'm starting to post here in order to stay somewhat organized.

Five feet to the left. Five _fucking_ feet to the left.

The New York Port Authority Bus Terminal had no business whatsoever calling those curbs with numbers _gates_. Gates meant walls or bays or seating areas with doorways that led you to the correct mode of transportation. Gates absolutely did not mean standing in a spot labeled with a six-number range, a couple of buses, and a guy waving him over, nodding when Shiro said “Weehawken?” And Shiro did say “Weehawken”, very clearly. He’d only had two beers while he waited in the bar of the VR arcade Matt and Pidge had found and he was not slurring his words.

With no end in sight for the Holts’ sibling shenanigans, Shiro had texted them to say he’d be going back to their AirBnB on the community bus. He’d walked to the nearest subway station, reloaded his fare card, and gotten to Port Authority with no trouble. He’d even bought a bottle of water, virtuously heeding Pidge’s voice in his head about hangover prevention and dehydration in the summer heat. He’d fallen into a light doze when the bus got stuck in a forty-minute traffic deadlock before entering the Lincoln Tunnel.

But in the three days of the vacation so far, traveling into and out of Manhattan on this bus line, Shiro had internalized the rhythm. He woke when he realized that the bus had been going in a straight line for longer than normal. He checked the map on his phone and sat up, seeing that the bus was miles past the left turn onto Palisade.

That was also the moment that the notification popped up on his screen.

**Spiky Aloe Vera Bastard: Dude. Where the fuck are you going?**

**Spiky Aloe Vera Bastard: You’re in fucking Secaucus! Going to a Giants game?**

**Shiro-senpai: I know! I’m the one on the bus! The driver obviously didn’t listen when I told him Weehawken.**

**Spiky Aloe Vera Bastard: So get off at the next stop and get a return bus. Or call a ride.**

**Shiro-senpai: I plan to. If it ever stops.**

**Spiky Aloe Vera Bastard: What? It’s gotta stop!**

**Shiro-senpai: I think it’s an express. To Paterson.**

The string of crying emojis made Shiro snort in spite of his predicament.

**Pidge-podge: What the hell? We leave you alone for ten minutes and you end up halfway across the next state?**

**Pidge-podge: Granted some of these states are fucking TINY, but the principle stands!**

**Shiro-senpai: Stop texting me, both of you. I’m down to 10% battery and there’s no way to charge my phone. I’ll text when I’m on my way back.**

Matt responded with a thumbs-up and Shiro turned off his phone after closing the app. He stared out at the dark landscape, barely visible through the tinted windows. It would have been nice to be able to see some of the impromptu tour he was getting…

=============================================

Shiro tried to argue with the bus driver about returning, but the man insisted that it was the end of the line and he was reporting to the garage for the night. Shiro got out and looked around, feeling grateful to be six-foot-four with decent shoulders. The intersection was in a seedy part of town and the only people nearby were clustered in the parking lot of a closed gas station. Several voices called out, “Taxi?” but their cars showed no official markings. He shook his head and moved down the block slightly before turning on his phone to open an app and summon a ride.

To his surprise, he had a choice of four drivers and picked the one with the closest ETA. His phone flashed a picture of a late-model red Mazda driven by “Keith” along with a picture of a dark-haired guy. Three minutes later, the car pulled up and Keith rolled down the passenger window.

“Takashi, I presume?” Keith got his name right and Shiro let himself be impressed.

“That’s me. But most people call me Shiro.”

Keith waved him in and rolled up the window. Shiro adjusted the seat for his height and leaned back in the smooth leather, so much nicer than the scratchy upholstery of the bus, and drew a deep breath of the air conditioning. The radio was turned low, playing a Top 40 station. Keith swiped at his phone to start the fare and load the directions.

“Weehawken, huh? Most people are going the other way at this time of night.”

Shiro groaned. “I made a dumb tourist mistake. Got on the wrong bus going back to my AirBnB.”

Keith snorted as he turned left. “Oh, trust me. Even us native New Yorkers get on the wrong bus or subway once in a while. Do _not_ let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“I still feel like an idiot. I was hoping to get back early and get some rest. My friends and I have been going all day long in Manhattan.”

“So, vacation? Where you from?”

“Yeah, my friends and I decided to come here since none of us had ever been before. We live in Arizona.”

“Well, I hope you’re enjoying it. But thanks for this. I live in the city and this helps me get back home for the night. So thanks for going my way.” Keith pulled onto the highway smoothly and Shiro leaned back as they picked up speed. “My last ride was supposed to be just to Rutherford. It was three girls and only one of them wanted Rutherford. They didn’t tell me the other two were headed for Paterson until we were on 95.”

“Glad I could be helpful,” Shiro replied as he sent a quick text to the Holts. Keith glanced at his phone, spying the red sliver of his battery indicator, and unplugged the charger from his own phone. Shiro took it gratefully.

“What have you been doing so far?”

Shiro shrugged. “A little bit of everything. We’ve got a friend who’s lived here since graduation and she’s been helping a lot with sorting what we can’t miss and what we want to see. We spent all day Monday between the Rose Center and the Intrepid Museum. Tuesday we hit some of the obvious places: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial. Today everyone split up to do our own thing and then we met up for dinner. But Matt and Pidge found this VR arcade and I got tired of waiting for them...and got on the wrong bus.”

“What did you see today?”

“I walked at least five miles, mostly around lower Manhattan. I had a list of bookstores and such I wanted to check out.” Shiro lifted the backpack he’d carried all day. “This is just a little heavier than it was this morning.”

“Nice. Anywhere good?”

“The best was Kinokuniya, the Japanese store. I’m surprised I didn’t break my credit card in there.”

“You made it to the third floor, right? With all the manga?”

“I did. It was amazing.”

“Between that and Midtown Comics, it makes for a good little run.”

“I went to Midtown as well. And the Mysterious Bookshop where I found three books on my sister’s list of rare authors.”

“I know it. My mom loves that place.” Keith checked his mirrors and moved into the fast lane. “What else you got planned?”

“Romelle got us tickets to a Broadway show. She says it’s the one show that can possibly appeal to science geeks like us, so I have no idea what to expect.”

Keith winced. “Oh, man. I think I know which one that is. How much of a theater buff are you?”

“Amateur at best. I know some of the classics and gave _Hamilton_ a listen when everyone started talking about it. I’ll catch it on tour eventually.”

Keith bit his lip before replying. “Let’s just say you’ll probably enjoy the staging and maybe the music, but there will be lyrics with rhymes so forced they’ll make you want to poke your eardrums out. If it’s the one I think it is.”

Shiro glanced over, admiring Keith’s profile and his hands resting confidently on the steering wheel. “I’ll take that under advisement.”

“You should keep an eye on the audience. I’ve heard reports that people cosplay.”

“Cosplay? At a Broadway show? You’re kidding.”

“My source was pretty reliable. He went with his family for his sister’s birthday and said there were a surprising number of teenagers attending.” Keith ran a hand through his hair, pushing heavy bangs back and showing Shiro a cheekbone that could cut glass. And maybe had tried, given the thin scar that ran down to his jaw. Shiro ran a finger across the marred flesh on the bridge of his own nose, drawing comfort from the fact that, scar or no scar, Keith was gorgeous. As he switched lanes to move around another car, Keith glanced at Shiro with a faint smile and Shiro quickly swiped at his nose as if it itched. Keith’s smile grew, showing devastating dimples, but had to look back to the road quickly when an obnoxiously purple Camaro cut in front of them.

Shiro felt his face grow warm and hoped to god it was dark enough in the car to hide his blush.

=============================================

Keith had been doing rideshares on weeknights and Sundays for extra cash, since those student loans wouldn’t pay themselves. In the past month he made enough to send an extra payment and take his parents out to dinner for their anniversary. And overall it was okay: no drunks had thrown up in his car, no one had been belligerent about his no-smoking rule, and he’d been able to deflect the worst instances of flirting, mostly from giggly young women.

Now, for the first time, Keith wanted to ask a customer for his number.

As they continued to chat, Keith learned a bit about Shiro. His childhood in Japan, his dreams of being an astronaut, and his current work in aerospace engineering with his friends. Who sounded worse than Lance and Veronica when it came to snarky siblings.

“...and I’d love to do a bit of stargazing, being on the East Coast for the first time, but we’re in the middle of so much light pollution.”

“There’s places where astronomy groups go that are decent. Inwood Hill’s a good one. And there’s the High Line.”

“What is that? I’ve heard it mentioned as some kind of park?”

Keith grinned. “Urban repurposing at its finest. It’s an old el-train spur that runs through part of the Lower West Side. They plopped a bunch of greenery on top of the structure and turned it into a hiking trail. It’s thirty feet above street level.”

Shiro’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, that sounds cool enough that I might even be able to drag Matt and Pidge along. Normally they’re allergic to fresh air—”

Shiro’s phone chirped and he glanced down to read the text. Keith checked his rear views before changing lanes and noticed as Shiro’s face fell. He muttered, “Well, damn,” and began replying.

“Everything okay?”

“Romelle’s friend just bailed on us for the Broadway show, which leaves us stuck with an extra seat.” His eyes skittered back up to Keith’s face for an instant, then back down to his phone.

Keith’s cheeks grew warm as a definite tension filled the car. His phone helpfully gave the warning of their exit approaching and he focused for a few minutes as they left the freeway. Shiro relaxed visibly, seeing familiar territory, and Keith slowed down, in no hurry to arrive. The traffic lights worked to his advantage, catching them twice as they headed south on Palisade.

Shiro pointed out a couple of restaurants, filling the silence with nervous chatter. “That’s a really good breakfast place. They have cheesecake pancakes, if you want a sugar overload. And of course we had to try that Italian place because Matt and Pidge’s family is Italian. It wasn’t bad, but nowhere near as good as their mom’s cooking.”

Keith checked his phone and pulled over just as Shiro lifted a hand to indicate the row of townhouses.

“This is it. Thanks again. You’re a lifesaver.”

Keith shrugged and managed a smile. “Just doing my job. It was really nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

Shiro lifted his backpack and got out, but hesitated, standing next to the open door. Before Keith could ask him what was wrong, Shiro got back in and turned to face him. He drew a deep breath and blurted out, “Look, would you like to join us for the musical? Since we have the extra seat?”

Keith blinked at the sudden rush of words, trying to parse them and not let his jaw drop. His first thought was to never, ever let Lance and Hunk hear of this, because they would tease him mercilessly.

His second thought was elation at the thought of seeing Shiro again.

He’d been silent too long. Shiro was starting to fidget nervously and stammered, “Only if your eardrums can take it, of course. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have asked.”

That snapped Keith to attention. “No, yeah… Yeah, let’s do it. Let me give you my number so the powers that be can’t fuss about me asking for your info.”

Shiro passed him his unlocked phone. “Cool, I’ll forward you all the details. It’s tomorrow night, is that okay?”

Keith nodded, tapping in his name and number. “Yeah, that’s okay. Talk to you later.”

This time Shiro made it out of the car and closed the door. Keith finalized the ride and shifted his status to “unavailable” before switching to Waze to find the fastest route home. He made a face at seeing that the Lincoln Tunnel was still much quicker than the Turnpike and flagged himself as available once more. With luck, he’d pick up someone going into the city and the company could cover the toll.

The app beeped at him, signaling that Shiro had paid his fare. Keith glanced at the notification, then did a double-take. Shiro had rated him five stars across the board and tipped him 40%.


	2. Great White Way

“All I’m saying is that any Italian restaurant that doesn’t have a pesto dish on the menu isn’t worthy of calling itself Italian!” Pidge brandished the menu, nearly whacking Romelle in the face.

Matt took the menu from her and put it back on the hostess’ station. “So we should give up our reservation and go to Buca di Beppo instead?”

Pidge glared at him. “You know very well that cream monstrosity they serve does  _ not _ count!”

“And we don’t have time to go somewhere else,” Romelle protested, wrapping one long braid around her hand nervously. “Shiro, stop staring at your phone and tell them!”

Shiro looked up, yanked away from re-reading his last conversation with Keith. “Tell them what?” He noticed her wringing her hair and pocketed his phone. He stepped around the elderly couple in the loveseat—the only available seating in the crowded foyer—and took her hands, freeing her braid from her fingers. “Relax, Romy. You already picked up our tickets, we have a reservation, and the theater is right around the corner. It’s going to be a good night.” He glanced at the door as it swung open, his shoulders slumping as a family with three young children entered, the father worming his way toward the hostess.

Romelle grinned, her nerves fading as she found an opening. “Take your own advice, Shiro. He has the address, he knows what time our reservations are, and he hasn’t texted about being delayed. He’ll be here.” 

Shiro nodded, letting her shift their hands so she was the one supporting him. He still wasn’t sure how this had happened, how he had invited a complete stranger to join their close-knit group for a night on the town. And yet…

They’d been texting back and forth all day. Shiro had managed to get the Holts up early enough to hike the High Line before it got too warm and had sent a string of pictures as they progressed. Keith had commented on them, then fired back a few photos of his own, including a selfie of himself and the biggest damn Siberian husky Shiro had ever seen.

**Shiro-senpai: You must have the world’s most lenient landlord. How on earth do you keep a husky happy in a city apartment?**

**KITT 2000: 1, the building’s been in the family since my great-grandparents bought it and we have one floor for ourselves and rent out the rest. 2, Kosmo is kind of everyone’s dog and there’s almost always someone around to entertain him**

Pidge and Matt had pushed a hibachi express in order to check off “Japanese” cuisine for Shiro, who put his foot down. They would go to a proper Asian restaurant of Shiro’s choosing since they were doing Italian for Broadway night. They ended up at a place serving cheap Mexican fare, chosen from a haphazardly-spelled menu. Shiro shared a picture with Keith, including the location marker.

**Shiro-senpai: Place your bets now as to which of us cuts the afternoon short with food poisoning**

**KITT 2000: For fuck’s sake, you should have asked me. There’s a great little Cuban place not too far from there. Family friends run it, Varadero’s**

**Shiro-senpai: Noted for future reference**

He gripped Romelle’s hands and she leaned in, lowering her voice. “It’ll be okay. He sounds like a lovely person and we really don’t bite. At least not hard.”

“I know that and I think you all will like him. It’s just… The last time I felt an instant connection like this was Adam.” He bowed his head, staring at the floor. “And you know how that went.”

Romelle squeezed his hands. “He’s not Adam. He’s different.”

“How do you know?”

“Instant connection or not, did Adam spend the entire next day texting with you? Sharing photos? Details about his family and friends?”

Shiro let out a snort of laughter. “No.”

“And how long was it before any of us knew there was an Adam?”

“Weeks. He didn’t want anyone else to know about us.”

“See? Different!” Romelle freed her hands and cupped Shiro’s face, making him look up at her. “I will bet you a Black Tap milkshake that you meet some of his family or friends before you all leave Wednesday.”

Shiro laughed again at that, because he could see it. Keith was dropping details about himself left and right. Adam had been a lot less forthcoming when they first met, and they’d both played things much closer to the chest. Keith was willingly meeting his friends, not even twenty-four hours after meeting Shiro himself. Shiro and Adam had met a few weeks into the semester and it had taken until Thanksgiving for him to agree to drop in at one of the frequent lunches Shiro’s group had.

“Shiro?”

He backpedaled slightly from Romelle, who giggled and turned, holding out one hand. “Are you Keith? I’m Romelle and I am so happy that you’re taking advantage of our spare ticket. I’m still mad at Luca for abandoning us.”

Shiro was desperately trying to reboot his brain and form words to interrupt the onslaught coming from Romelle. Keith in a driver’s seat with a hoodie and jeans had been enticing enough. Keith in black dress slacks and a deep red leather jacket, the black shirt underneath open at the collar? Devastating.

And now Keith was smiling an adorably shy smile, taking Romelle’s hand and letting her pull him in for a hug as she continued to babble. When she plunged into introductions, Keith caught Shiro’s gaze. His expression turned smug and he raised one eyebrow.  _ See something you like? _

Although he was sure his face must be turning all kinds of red, Shiro made a point of looking Keith up and down.  _ Most definitely. _

He was rewarded as Keith ducked his head, letting his bangs fall forward to hide the pink tinge in his own cheeks.

==================================

_ So far so good… _

It was kind of scary how easily Keith found a fit with Shiro and his group of friends. The blond girl, Romelle, glittered both figuratively and literally. Her face was dusted with a fine sparkly powder to match the shimmery top she wore. She chatted enthusiastically with Keith, one New Yorker to another, looking for places where their paths might have crossed.

The brother and sister, Matt and Pidge, were an interesting pair. They had mad-scientist levels of intelligence and were hard to follow even when they were speaking about topics Keith knew well. And yet they were possibly the most geeky pair Keith had ever met. The whiplash between a dissection of someone’s dark matter research and the meme interjections was astonishing. Keith wanted to see what would happen if they met his friend Hunk…

Shiro was a solid, reassuring presence beside him. The five of them were in a circular booth and Keith hadn’t missed how Romelle and Pidge had made sure Shiro was next to him. They talked more about the day’s adventures on the High Line, the stargazing event happening Saturday night in Inwood Park, and what else the visitors might pack into the next several days. Matt mentioned flying out on Wednesday and Keith was surprised at just how much his stomach dropped at the thought.

What was  _ with _ him? Keith never felt this comfortable around a stranger. It was a running joke with his family. When he had invited Hunk over to the house their sophomore year in high school, his mom had been a good, welcoming hostess. But the minute Hunk was out the door and on the way to his bus stop, Krolia had been on the phone, cheering to Steven that their little boy had made a friend at last. There had been similar histrionics when Keith had finally accepted that he and Lance, Hunk’s best friend since kindergarten, could get along as well. The three of them had remained friends after graduation, all staying in the city for school.

But Keith’s circle remained small. There were a few fellow students from his program at Columbia that he kept in touch with on social media. His cousin Acxa dating Lance’s sister had added the rest of the McClain siblings to the mix. And that was it for Keith’s social presence. He enjoyed his solitude even as his mom fretted, comparing his loner habits to her experience growing up with four brothers and a veritable tribe of neighborhood kids.

Keith suspected that Shiro was similar. He’d mentioned family back in Japan and coming to the States for school, but very little about friends other than the Holts and Romelle. His dynamic with them felt very much like Keith’s with Hunk and Lance.

Out for a little more info, Keith waited until Shiro and Romelle were involved in discussing another friend, Allura, who was apparently back home for the summer before grad school. He then turned to Pidge on his other side, who had been arguing yet again with her brother. She huffed as Matt smiled triumphantly and made a show of turning her back on him.

“I need a distraction, fast, before I kill him. Shiro said you have a dog?”

Keith pulled out his phone. “Yeah, a husky mix. His name’s Kosmo.” He brought up a picture and Pidge gasped.

“Mixed with what? I’ve never seen a husky that big!”

He laughed. “Maybe some kind of wolf? My uncles were upstate one Christmas, getting our tree from a chop-your-own farm, and they found him in the snow. No mother, no other pups. They brought him home, boarded him at a vet’s until Christmas Eve, and set him in a dog bed under the tree for me. My mom will probably forgive them when I’m thirty.”

Pidge lit up at his story and produced her own phone, showing a lockscreen with a white dog rolling on her back, tongue lolling from the goofy dog-grin on her face. “This is Bae Bae. We adopted her from a shelter when I was ten. She’s a mutt - only thing we can all agree on is that there’s some bulldog in there.”

Keith nodded. “She looks like a perpetual happy machine.”

“Oh, she is. She wags her tail so hard when Shiro visits that she falls over, every time.”

“Does he visit a lot?”

Pidge glanced at him, easily identifying the fishing expedition, but answered, “Regularly enough. He’s an adopted Holt, has been ever since my dad chose him as his lead assistant for a major study on improving fuel efficiency for rockets.”

Keith perked up. “As in space? Wait, is your dad Dr. Samuel Holt?”

Pidge’s eyebrows went up at Keith’s sudden enthusiasm, but she smiled. “Yeah, that’s him. How do you know him?”

“I’ve studied his work. My bachelor’s is in astrophysics. I start my PhD in a month.”

“That is way cool. Have you talked space to Shiro yet?”

Keith shook his head. “We haven’t gotten to careers and such.”

“Block off about six hours. He’ll talk your ears off.” She turned to share her new information with Matt and Keith sat back a moment, snagging his wine glass as he contemplated and tried not to let nerves creep back in.

_ It shouldn’t be this easy… _

==================================

On the positive side, his friends clearly approved of Keith. They’d included him in the conversations at dinner—and it seemed that Keith actually had a degree related to their fields, had known who Sam was and made the connection. Romelle had drawn Keith into small talk, helping ease everyone into a common comfort zone, just like she used to when they were all at school together. Matt had given him a thumbs-up behind Keith’s back as they walked to the theater and joined the line of spectators waiting for the doors to open.

On the negative side, they  _ clearly _ approved. Both Romelle and Pidge had pushed the limits of personal space in the restaurant, forcing Shiro and Keith to lean into one another at times. Once in the theater, Matt had insisted on buying a round of drinks, even though they’d split a bottle of wine in the restaurant. They’d maneuvered so Shiro and Keith were seated next to one another again. Matt leaned over Romelle and started quizzing Keith about where the best pizza was and if there were stores with large selections of imported anime. Pidge was cackling as she pointed out one teenager sporting a black cloak and silver-dyed hair.

Shiro laid a hand on Keith’s arm to get his attention. “You were right. There’s our first cosplayer.”

Keith looked, along with Romelle and Matt. Romelle suppressed a snort while Matt looked mystified. As she started to explain to Matt, Shiro leaned in to whisper to Keith, “Everything okay?”

Keith turned his head, his hair brushing Shiro’s nose. “Yeah, your friends are great.” He gave a shy smile and started scanning the audience for more people of interest while Shiro resisted leaning in for more of the warm spicy scent of Keith’s shampoo.

Shiro looked for distraction as well, fighting to keep the goofy grin from his face. When he saw Pidge’s knowing smirk, he knew he’d failed.

================================

  
  


They tried to stick together as they worked their way down and out of the theater. Shiro realized that Keith hadn’t been told that they planned to meet at 6th and 45th if they got separated and took a firm grip on his elbow. Once out of the doors, the crowds thinned somewhat, most people headed to the bright lights of Times Square like moths to a flame, and Shiro let go to move beside Keith as they walked.

“Okay, you called it perfectly.”

“I did?” Keith looked up at him with that shy smile that was already one of Shiro’s favorite expressions from him. His insides were quivering as he looked into those deep indigo eyes. How had this happened in a space of twenty-four hours?

_ Fuck. So love at first sight is a real thing. _

“You said it yesterday. The staging was great. I really liked the actors and some of the music was catchy. But anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to rhyme ‘high-key’ and ‘psyche’ needs their rhyming dictionary taken away.”

Keith huffed in amusement. “Well, not everyone can be a Lin-Manuel Miranda. But some of them try very, very hard.”

They paused at the intersection, looking around as they laughed together, and Romelle and Pidge waved at them across 45th. “Over here!”

They dashed across the street before the lights could change. Pidge was texting, thumbs flying. “Matt turned right instead of left and didn’t realize until he was at 7th. He’s on his way.”

“Keith?” A woman’s voice rang out from Shiro’s left.

Keith looked up and let out a quiet groan. “Oh, god.”

Two women were waving, dressed for an evening on the town. One grabbed the other by the hand and barrelled toward them. Shiro felt Keith stiffen and instinctively moved closer to him.

For a moment Shiro was afraid the leader was going to engulf Keith in a hug he clearly didn’t want, but the second woman used their joined hands to haul her back slightly. She gave Keith an apologetic glance as the first woman’s eyes swept over them.

“Keith Kogane, what are you doing out in the world? Lance said it was video game night!”

“Veronica!” The second woman hissed at her.

“What? I’m just saying! Keith’s never out unless Lance and Hunk drag him out! And he’s with people we don’t know!”

“Let’s fix that, then!” Romelle moved forward, slightly shielding Keith from her. “I’m Romelle, this is Pidge and Shiro, and we lost Matt coming out of the theater but he should be here any second.” She grabbed the first woman’s free hand and shook energetically. “We know you’re Veronica. Who’s your lovely companion?”

Veronica stared, a little slack-jawed at the sudden onslaught, and the second woman’s lips twitched appreciatively before answering, “I’m Acxa. Pleased to meet you all.”

“There you all are! Sorry, sorry. I didn’t have a clear enough look at the sky to determine north.” Matt clapped a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, shoving him just a little further into Keith’s space.

Veronica snapped out of her daze, giving Matt an appreciative once-over before turning back to Keith. “Now, seriously. We never see you with anyone but my brother and Hunk. What gives?”

Romelle jumped in again. “Keith and I have been showing these three around. They're visiting from out of state. We just got out of our mandatory Broadway musical.”

Matt and Pidge intoned the title song’s chorus, including the hand gesture that had gone along with the singer’s performance, and Veronica’s eyes lit up. “Acxa, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Acxa didn’t reply, but her smile suddenly grew wider.

“No,” Keith spoke up. “I’ve seen that look. Whatever it is, no.”

“But you had such fun last time! Granted, it took a few drinks, but you did!”

“Oh god no, Veronica! Acxa, please, do something with her! Take her home, pull her into an alley, embarrass a taxi driver. Anything to distract her!”

Acxa’s smile turned wicked. “Keith, just be glad the karaoke is in private rooms and not an open bar.”

Matt perked up. “Karaoke, you say?”

Romelle and Pidge exchanged looks, evaluating.

Keith turned and buried his face in Shiro’s shoulder, whimpering under his breath. Shiro took the opening and put an arm around him. He leaned down and whispered into Keith’s ear, “I promise I’ll protect you.”

“You can’t. Others have tried and failed,” Keith muttered into his shoulder.

“Come on, Keith! We can be there in fifteen minutes! If you buy the first pitcher of cosmos, I won’t call Lance and tell him to meet us. Deal?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would!” Veronica’s eyes danced behind her sexy-librarian glasses. “Or you can walk away and I call Lance anyway to tell him you’re two-timing him and Hunk with  _ tourists.” _

Acxa yanked at Veronica’s hand, and she blinked and looked around apologetically. “Sorry. That was a bit much. Sometimes I forget Keith’s not another little brother.”

“So it sounds like  _ you  _ should buy the first round,” Pidge observed.

Keith pushed into Shiro, as if drawing strength from him. Shiro ran a hand up his back, feeling him take a deep breath. Keith turned and glared at Veronica, stating, “If you are going to insist on this, then you are paying for the room.”

Veronica’s eyes flitted about, counting heads, then she smiled with anticipation. “Deal. Two hours.”

Keith paled at those words.

==============================

One round of cosmos and three songs in, Keith was feeling cautiously optimistic. Somehow, between Acxa’s quelling presence and Romelle practically interrogating Veronica in the get-to-know-your-fellow-New-Yorker rite, there had been very little teasing on the walk to the karaoke studio. Once Veronica secured them a room, Matt and Pidge grabbed the books listing all the available songs and began making lists on their phones. Romelle kept a hand on Veronica’s arm, under the guise of trading Venmo information to make splitting the tab easier, which allowed Shiro to steer Keith to one end of the U-shaped couch. Acxa caught his eye and sat on the other end, pulling Veronica with her.

He let the others scuffle over the controller for choosing the next song, joining in on choruses. He also kept alternating sipping from the cosmo that had been handed to him and the glass of water he’d poured for himself. The last thing Keith needed was to get drunk enough that Veronica and Acxa would insist on escorting him home. He noticed Pidge sticking with water, and seized a chance when Shiro leaned forward to argue with Romelle about the next song.

“You not up for drinking?”

She gave a weary sigh. “I’m the designated get-everyone-home person tonight. After Shiro’s grand tour of the tri-state area, we drew up a schedule so that at least one of us would be sober enough to make absolutely sure we take the correct bus.”

“Smart thinking, but will you be able to handle both of them if they get wasted enough?”

Pidge shrugged as Shiro sat back between them. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied. “I can go with you all to Port Authority. It’s easy enough to hop a subway home from there.”

Pidge looked relieved and Shiro beamed.

“Keith! Catch!” He looked up just in time to snag the microphone Acxa had tossed at him. Romelle was punching a code into the controller and looking entirely too happy about it. Keith was immediately on the alert.

Matt passed the second mic to Shiro. “One of your favorites, man!”

Veronica picked up her drink. “And you’re helping him, Keith!”

At the first guitar chords of the remix, Shiro perked up. Pidge cackled and shoved him. “You are such a nerd!”

“Since when is liking Elvis being nerdy?” Shiro protested, then shoved her back and focused, launching into the lyrics as they scrolled on the screen over the thrumming techno beat.

Shiro went for the Elvis swagger and everyone else cheered appreciatively. Keith felt his grip on the mic slip as his palm got sweaty and changed hands, nearly fumbling as Shiro leaned into him, belting out the lyrics with energy.

“Close your mouth and open up your heart and, baby, satisfy me!”

Keith managed to chime in with the others on the chorus and wipe his free hand on the sofa at the same time. Just as he thought he was getting his shit together, Shiro grabbed that hand and pulled him closer as he sang, “It’s a groovy night and I can show you how to use it!”

There was a flash from the other side of the room. Keith felt his face grow hot and prayed that it had been Acxa taking the picture to tease him later. If it had been Veronica, then a photo would be arriving in Lance’s messages any second.

It also seemed to make Shiro realize just what he was singing to the guy he met barely a day ago. He faltered a little over the next lines, recovering as everyone yelled the chorus. Keith kept his eyes on the screen and sang, very aware that Shiro had not let go of his hand yet. As they ripped through the call-and-response section, Keith felt his phone buzz in his pocket and ignored it, mentally cursing Veronica to seventy times seven hells.

The song ended and Shiro squeezed his hand. Thinking he was about to let go, Keith held on as he put his mic on the table for the next person. Romelle leaned over both Holts to snatch Shiro’s mic as the first strains of “Super Bass” poured from the speakers.

“Romy, what are you—” Pidge started just as Romelle tore into the rap. Veronica and Acxa’s faces broadened into smiles, seeing Shiro and Matt’s jaws drop, and they gleefully chimed in on the backup vocals. Keith seized his chance and pulled out his phone long enough to set it to “do not disturb” with a few flicks of his thumb. He had to lean into Shiro slightly to shove his phone back into his pocket, and Shiro let go of his hand to wrap an arm around his shoulders and lean them both back into the low sofa.

Shiro pressed his nose into Keith’s hair. “You doing okay?” he murmured under the ruckus as Matt claimed a microphone and began “Mr. Roboto”.

Keith nodded. “Sorry to drag you all into this. Veronica is a bit much.”

Shiro let out a snort of laughter, his breath tickling Keith’s ear. “Don’t be sorry. We’re having fun.”

Keith turned his head toward Shiro, smiling. “Yeah?”

Shiro’s arm tightened around Keith and his lips brushed Keith’s forehead as he answered, “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Shiro sings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx1_6F-nCaw

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


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